The Things They Carried Essay Examples

Why Is 'The Things They Carried' Banned Essay

1 Page 515 Words

Postmodernism is a cultural movement that emerged after World War II. When Modernism was mainly concerned with making it new; postmodernist literature examines conventional ideas like truth and fiction, suggesting that there is no ultimate truth or distinction between the two only multiple, fragments of truth. Postmodern authors, to covey those ideas use several different literary techniques. One of those...

Critical Thinking SocietyThe Things They Carried

432

Norman Bowker in 'The Things They Carried' Essay

4 Pages 1703 Words

The reader – like the soldier – never knows how the day will turn out. O’Brien even adds stories whose veracity is challenged later on, thus allowing the reader to understand that the stories are not the most important thing. Stories are used only to provide insight into the emotions of war; from these stories, O’Brien effectively teases out the...

Character Literary CriticismThe Things They Carried

432

Irony in 'The Things They Carried' Essay

2 Pages 983 Words

How Do Writers Protest War War has now become the norm because of its impact on society. Poets include literary devices in their works to help illustrate their meaning. With this, each writer can share their protests against different wars. Writers have used literary devices throughout all of their writings. All four writers protest the war in various ways. The...

Irony Literary CriticismThe Things They Carried

432

Essay on Azar from 'The Things They Carried'

3 Pages 1483 Words

The idea of morality during times of war is far from a black-or-white concept. It is more of a muddied, gray area in the middle. There isn’t a definitive right or wrong when it comes to war, as it depends on who’s view you choose to see it from. Author, Tim O’Brien recounts his experiences during the Vietnam War in...

Character Literary CriticismThe Things They Carried

432

Elroy Berdahl from 'The Things They Carried' Essay

2 Pages 846 Words

Although many different lenses can be applied, Tim O'Brien challenges typical gender roles in 'The Things They Carried' through his distinctive portrayal of men's masculinity mixing with traits and of women's involuntary lack of expertise resulting in an absence of understanding. Men are seen to be less manly whereas women turn rock hard, while also men are the opposite of...

Character Gender RolesThe Things They Carried

436

Conflicts in 'The Things They Carried' Essay

4 Pages 1792 Words

“Once people are dead, you can’t make them undead” (O’Brien 39). In The Things They Carried written by Tim O’Brien, the author mainly depicts the American soldier’s life in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. In 1954, the U.S., under the Eisenhower Administration, became involved in the Vietnam Conflict. However, controversies about whether America should get involved in Vietnam began rising...

Conflict Critical ThinkingThe Things They Carried

379

Rhetorical Devices in 'The Things They Carried' Essay

1 Page 662 Words

Repetition is needed to remember the men as they were and not the men the war has turned them into. This literary device gives insight and more importance to the physical and mental weight they carried on their shoulders. We learn what kind of men they are. Mitchell Sanders is a man who disguises his fear with misplaced and slightly...

Literary Criticism RhetoricThe Things They Carried

231

Critical Essay on 'The Things They Carried'

2 Pages 1028 Words

The Things They Carried is a collection of metafiction short stories written in 1990 by Tim O’Brien. It was about a platoon fighting in the Vietnam War, in the book he talks about his experiences as a soldier. In one of his stories “The Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong,” he talks about how Mary Anne, Mark Fossies girlfriend, transformed...

Literary CriticismThe Things They Carried

254

The Things They Carried essays